Google About to Leap Into Online Bookstore Game This Summer

Well, maybe apps aren't the next best thing. Sure, they're not going anywhere any time soon, but let's just go ahead and admit that eBooks are a hot seller this year. While Amazon made a killing off of it, with their eReader the Kindle, the iPad made some definite headway into the industry. And now that everyone and their family is getting in on the action, it's no surprise that Google wants in. And, according to The Wall Street Journal, they're jumping in head first in just a few short months.

And of course, Google has a great name in store: Google Editions. Has a ring to it, doesn't it? According to the WSJ report, it looks like Google is all set to put a different spin on the online bookseller routine. It will still have the standard digital storefront, and include a way to search for books, but the bonus comes to independent book vendors out there. According to the report, it seems that Google is going to let these folks put their books in Google Editions, and allow them to sell them through Google's new effort.

The report states that Google wants their digital bookstore to stand out from the crowd, and they're going to do that "by allowing users to access books from a broad range of websites using a broad array of devices." So, while Apple's iBookstore is relatively limited in that it only works on the iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch, it seems that Google wants their Editions to appear on multiple devices, and platforms. This Summer definitely just got more interesting.